Getting started

Install Bird Journal

The easiest way to install Bird Journal on any device or computer is to visit www.birdjournal.com. On Windows & Mac you will see a download button. On iOS and Android you will see a button that links through to the Apple AppStore or Google Play respectively.

The latest version of the desktop app (V5) will install side-by-side with earlier versions.

Create an account

First, you need to create an account. This can be done with any of the apps, just enter your email, a password and your first name, last name and country. The country is used to determine which species are available when using a free account.

If you have Bird Journal 1, 2 or 3 and want to import that data, then please install the desktop app and create your account from the same computer; the import will happen automatically. Any photos will be uploaded in the background after the account has been created, indicated by a bouncing Sync button. Hover the mouse over the Sync button to see how many photos are remaining to upload.

Sign in

Once you've created your account, you can sign in using the same email and password on any other Bird Journal app. The first sync may take up to ten minutes on some mobile devices.

If you have difficulty signing in, select the "Forgotten Password" link on the sign in screen. This will send an email to the address entered, with instructions on how to reset your password.

All set!

Once you're signed in to your account on all of your devices and computers, any records added will be synced to the other devices and computers. Photos are downloaded when viewed for the first time, and are then available locally on that computer. If you install an item from the library, it is installed to your account and will be automatically installed to your other apps.

Add your first entry by pressing the New Entry button. (This is a plus icon in the mobile apps.)